Shocking Stat Shows Possible Culprit for Houston Astros Inconsistency
The Houston Astros made the decision to release veteran first baseman Jose Abreu on June 14th. It was a move that was surprising, but also expected at the same time.
When the Astros signed Abreu, they expected him to be a huge part of the team. Unfortunately, he struggled to get anything going and was actually a major weakness for the team. That led to the two sides parting ways.
During the 35 games he played this season with Houston, Abreu was bad. He hit just .124/.167/.195 to go along with two home runs and seven RBI.
Basically, he was a huge weakness that was not productive in any way, shape, or form.
Following his release, the Astros have started playing much better baseball. Is that a coincidence or was Abreu actually just a burden that was bringing Houston down?
As shared by Jeremy Branham, a co-host of an ESPN radio show, the team has performed much better without Abreu this season. They are 22-12 when he is away from the club. Houston was just 17-28 with him on the roster.
The Astros are 22-12, when Jose Abreu is away from the club.
— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) June 24, 2024
That's a .647 winning percentage, which is a 105 win pace over a full season.
At 37 years old, Abreu's future is very much in doubt. It will be hard to find a home with the numbers he produced for the Astros this year.
He'll likely get another shot at some point this year. However, if he continues to play so poorly, teams will move on and he will have to ride into the sunset.
Houston, on the other hand, has been riding high since moving on from Abreu. The team is currently on a five-game winning streak and are fresh off of a three-game weekend series sweep over the Baltimore Orioles. Things appear to be heading in the right direction.
With a 38-40 record, the Astros have been able to claw their way back into postseason contention. That success has set them up to be a potential buyer ahead of the trade deadline.
Abreu was not the only reason for the team's struggles this season, but the numbers above show clearly that Houston is a much better team without him than with him.
EVAN MASSEY
Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers both the NFL and NBA. He has worked for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net, and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.